


A Call In The Night

by dragonsandbooks



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Elf, Fluff, Injury, M/M, Mention of blood, Not beta'd we die like men, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21634351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsandbooks/pseuds/dragonsandbooks
Summary: All Shirabu wanted to do was sleep. A well-deserved rest.So, what was he doing with an injured wolf now lying on his bed?
Relationships: Semi Eita/Shirabu Kenjirou
Comments: 11
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Possumel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Possumel/gifts).



> thanks to haikyuubu chapter 24 that sparked a convo between me and a fellow semishira shipper, the idea of werewolf!semi and elf!shirabu couldn't leave my mind. at first i decided to leave it as mere hc but u know, i was bored one day and wrote like 500 words of this and decided "fuck it let's finish this one chapter at least" 
> 
> p.s Pos, if you by any chance read this, this one's for you. 👀 Hope it isn't too bad.

Shirabu tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. His eyes were heavy as if begging him to just sleep already but he couldn't. _And it was that damn wolf's fault_ , he cursed in his mind. No, he didn't know what that wolf's damage nor did he care to find out, Shirabu just wanted an uninterrupted sleep. 

Sitting up, he tried to calm his breath. Inhale. Exhale. No use getting agitated now. He continued for a while, trying his best to ignore the sound coming from outside. When he finally could feel his body relax, the pitiful howling had stopped. 

Good. He could enjoy his well-deserved rest now. Shirabu sighed in relief, settling himself back under a thick blanket. Feeling comfortable, he closed his eyes, trying to fall into a deep slumber. 

The howl started again at that exact moment. Shirabu, now wide awake, wanted to scream. Filled with fury, he threw his blanket onto the floor and stomped off outside, taking his oil lamp on the way.

He would shut that wolf up no matter what.

…

Once he left the warmth of his hut, Shirabu – who was now wrapping his robe tighter around himself with one hand – started to rethink his decision. He could very well be led into a trap set by a bunch of unruly werewolves. 

But the deeper he walked into the forest, the more he could tell that the wolf was alone. _Alone and hurt_ , Shirabu thought when his eyes fell onto a slumped figure whose back rest heavily against an oak tree. 

The wolf saw the light from his oil lamp and Shirabu watched as the injured wolf's whole body became more alert. 

Lifting his lamp so the wolf could see his face, Shirabu slowly approached him. The wolf was eyeing his every move, clearly not trusting him but was too weak to run away.

"What's happened to you?" Shirabu asked when he was close enough, going for a gentle voice as not to spook him. Despite being full of anger just minutes before, almost all of it had dissipated once he saw the sorry state of the other guy. "I heard your voice from my house and decided to check."

The other just groaned in pain. 

Seeing that, Shirabu made up his mind. He crouched down so their eyes were level. "I'm going to take you back with me, okay? Those wounds need to be taken care of," he explained, eyes glancing to the wound in the wolf's left leg. 

"Is that okay with you?" He asked. The wolf just stared at him, not giving any answer.

Shirabu waited. He told himself if the wolf still didn't respond in a few minutes he'd haul him up himself heavy weight be damned, because there was no way he could just pretend it didn't happen and go back home.

Fortunately he didn't have to. The injured creature nodded and a whimper escaped his mouth when he tried to stand. 

"Here, let me," Shirabu said as he offered to help, making the wolf leaned his body on him. "Can you still move your legs or at least one of them?" The wolf nodded again. "Okay. My house isn't that far. We'll make it there soon. Hang in there, 'kay?"

With that said, they slowly made their way back. Shirabu made sure not to put too much pressure on the wolf's left leg as it seemed to suffer the most. It took a while and Shirabu was already tired, carrying that wolf made it feel like he used up all his energy. 

The moment the hut was on his peripheral vision he sighed in relief. Just a few more steps. Just a few more and he'd be back in his safe, warm abode.

As soon as they were inside, Shirabu walked them to his bedroom and carefully put the wolf on his bed. Now that he had time to look, he could see the cuts on the wolf's face and arms but the gashes in his left leg and left arm seemed to be the worst he had. The wolf – whose name he still didn't know – had a fluffy grey-white with black tips fur, his claws were sharp and seeing him clutching his bed sheet Shirabu worried he'd tear it up. His clothes were in tatters and covered in blood. All in all, he looked absolutely like a mess.

Shirabu left him there to look for some turmeric and magical herbs at his kitchen slash work space to treat those open wounds. Fortunately he'd just got enough left for him. He also brought a bowl of water and clothes to dress the wounds with. 

He found the beast was now in fetal position. Sitting himself at the edge of the best, he pushed the wolf carefully into laying on his back. He did so with little protest, too drained to put up a fight. 

He made quick work on removing the wolf's shirt, revealing a big, nasty claw mark. Seeing it, he couldn't help but wonder, _why did he have a fight with his own kind? Was it a pack or personal matter?_

He shook his head. It wasn't important now. All he had to focus on was treating those wounds. Questions could be asked later.

Hands reaching into the pouch he kept his magical herbs in, the elf then mixed it with the turmeric paste. He knew there were other options but all he had with him at the moment was that. And it was late into the night that it just had to do for now. 

Then, he methodically cleaned the wound with the cloth and a bowl of water he brought with him. At least the bleeding had stopped so it saved him time. Once the wounds looked clean, including the ones on his left leg and left arm, Shirabu started by applying the turmeric paste onto the wounds on the wolf's chest and abdomen. It was fortunate the marks weren't deep as there was a chance it could damage a vital organ. 

When he was done with the body, he moved his focus on the beast's face. The cuts weren't that bad as the wolf probably got them from scraping against the forest floor when he fell. The wounds were neatly dressed after the paste was applied.

He then continued with the left arm. It was right then as he took care of the wounds when he saw the wolf's stirring. Slowly, his eyes opened and it seemed like he needed a few moments for his eyesight to focus. 

The wolf groaned in pain.

"Who are you?" He croaked out. Instead of answering, Shirabu offered him his mug of water that he always had at the ready on his bedside. He guided the mug to the wolf's lips, carefully making him drink. 

After, the wolf asked again, "Who are you?"

His voice was hoarse still but it sounded slightly better. 

"Shirabu. I'm a healer," he answered curtly, hands still hadn't stopped working. 

"What's happened?"

Shirabu paused to look at him. "Please don't tell me you lost your memory."

Great. He hadn't accounted for that possibility at all. _How remiss of me, I should've paid more attention to the possibility of trauma causing the memory loss_ , Shirabu chastised himself.

"No. I just–" he said as he tried to sit. Shirabu readily helped him, as he would need the wolf to sit later anyway for him to wrap the bandage around his body. Wincing in pain as he settled on his new position, the beast continued, "The last thing I remember I was in the forest."

"Are you already injured then? In that memory of yours?"

The wolf hummed. "Yeah. Thought I was going to die."

"You were howling. In pain. It disrupted my sleep," Shirabu explained as he already began dressing the wounds. It eased his worry a little to hear that the wolf didn't actually suffer from memory loss.

Though Shirabu tried to be as gentle as he could, the wolf couldn't stop making a face as he felt the pain hit him.

"I'm sorry," he quietly said. "I didn't expect anyone would come."

"You were lucky," the elf huffed. "But you should keep that apology to yourself, I don't need it."

The wolf didn't say anything to that. He let Shirabu work on his leg.

"What's your name?" Shirabu asked, breaking the temporary silence. He had enough of calling the other "this wolf" in his head.

"Semi. Semi Eita." 

"Okay."

They left it at that. One was busy treating the other while the one injured was left with little to no energy to keep a conversation going.

The moment he finally finished, Shirabu almost slumped onto the bed from exhaustion. If it weren't for the werewolf now lying on his bed, he definitely would've let himself do so. 

He gathered the bowls and dirtied clothes instead and was about to leave when suddenly a hand reached out, gripping his shirt. The wolf was whimpering and twitching in his sleep. He tried to ignore it and get away but to no avail. Semi's claws were sharp enough it could tear his shirt, and realizing this, Shirabu wasn't going to take any chance of that happening so he put the stuff on the bedside table. Then he sat down on the bed and tried to loosen Semi's grip on his shirt. 

He still didn't succeed. Even worse, it only increased the whimpering. The wolf didn't seem keen on letting him go anytime soon. Sighing, Shirabu decided to take pity on his patient and hesitantly ran his hand through his hair. Semi's hair was fluffy. It was as if they weren't affected at all by the blood and grimes. 

Shirabu knew for a fact that it wasn't the case. 

He repeated the movement a few times, gently as to not wake the wolf. And surprisingly it seemed to work. The whimpering stopped. The wolf even looked like it'd calmed down, sleep no longer troubled by the unknown. 

Once again, Shirabu tried to take the wolf's hand off him. This time the grip loosened enough for him to finally left the room. 

He was already by the door when he looked back, making sure the wolf's still asleep. Though he's tired to the bone, he smiled despite himself. 

"Good night," Shirabu murmured as he closed the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They didn't get off to a good start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my sleep deprived self wrote this. blame her for this mess.  
> 
> 
> p.s Pos, I hope you don't mind me gifting this to you.

Groaning in slight pain, Shirabu woke up with a crick in his neck. He wasn't used to sleeping on a chair with his head resting uncomfortably on the hard surface of his wooden dining table. Sure, he got a few hours of sleep but somehow it only made him feel more tired. 

He had no choice but to endure it, though. There was no way he'd subject his patient to this torture. He wasn't the nicest person – yes, he's aware of it, thank you very much, Kawanishi – but he wasn't cruel either. 

He made his way to his bedroom, not stopping to knock, and went inside to find the wolf was already awake. 

"Do you want to have a breakfast or change your bandages first?" Shirabu asked by way of greeting. 

"Good morning to you, too." Semi replied with a hint of sarcasm. 

Shirabu only raised one of his eyebrows at that.

"Breakfast, please," Semi finally answered when Shirabu clearly didn't want to bother saying anything.

The elf nodded and left again, this time he went back to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast for two.

…

Breakfast was a quiet affair. They didn't talk much but Semi was quite grateful Shirabu stayed in the room with him instead of eating by himself. 

Semi tried to start a conversation with his savior in between spoonfuls of broth, but it seemed the other party wasn't interested. His responses were brief and sometimes there was none at all. 

"Can you tell me where am I? Am I still in Karasuno?" Semi asked after a long silence. He supposed it should've been his first question, after all, not knowing where he was could be a disadvantage for a lone wolf like him. 

A shake of his head. "Shiratorizawa."

"Oh. I did cross the border last night, then," the wolf said, seemingly to himself. "Is it far to get into the town?"

Huffing, the elf put his spoon down. "Two hours by foot. You can't make it in that condition."

It was the longest reply he said to Semi this morning.

"Yeah. No objection here." He might be stubborn but he wasn't stupid enough to ignore the truth. 

After they finished and the dishes were taken care of, Shirabu brought clean clothes to dress his wounds with and a set of clothes for him to wear. 

"So, uh," Semi tried again when Shirabu was busy wrapping the wound on his leg, this time bringing up something that had been on his mind since he woke up. "Thank you. And I'm sorry."

"For what?" Shirabu asked bluntly. He didn't look up.

"For disturbing your sleep." He added, gesturing at himself, "And this. For taking care of me. I know it must be exhausting and I'm really grateful. But I know you don't have to. It's not your responsibility. So, I'm sorry."

Shirabu only shrugged. "Can't be helped," he said. "It's not like I had any choice when I found you. Do you really think I'd just leave you there to die?"

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. I know it's too much hassle."

"Shut up," Shirabu cut in, his tone annoyed. He pulled the bandage a little tighter. "Save your sorries and thanks to yourself because I don't need it."

The wolf frowned. "But I want to let you know because I'm not an ungrateful beast who doesn't know how to–"

"And I said I don't need it," Shirabu snapped. 

Semi stopped. He didn't understand why it bothered the elf so much, there was nothing wrong with what he said, wasn't there? He might not belong to any pack but that didn't mean he lacked tact. At least he wanted to believe he didn't. So, to be frank, he's miffed to be dismissed like that. 

"There," the copper-blond elf said when he was done. 

"Thank you." Shirabu gave him a look. Semi pressed, "Tomorrow I'll leave first thing in the morning. I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

The other looked at him, clearly unimpressed. "Do you really want to make it worse, you idiot? Just stay here and let me fix you up."

"You said you didn't have any choice. I gave you one just now." 

"And let you waste my hard work? No." Shirabu gathered his stuff and got up. Before he left, he looked Semi in the eyes and with an authoritative tone said, "You're to stay here until I deem you're completely healed."

"But won't it be hard on you?" Semi protested. "I can look after myself."

"You clearly don't," he huffed. "And my words are final." 

He left Semi there, alone with his thoughts.

…

Time seemed to pass by slowly. Semi was bored out of his mind. It was one thing to be left alone, but he wasn't used to spend a whole day confined in bed.

He was the only wolf left of his old pack, and with no one to return to, Semi was always on the move. Never staying in one place for too long, never asking a pack he came into contact with to take him in. 

He always took menial tasks offered to him in exchange for food or a roof to sleep under. He liked taking a stroll in town to talk with people he saw there. In short, Semi Eita was used to being active. 

This– this was torture, more so than the wounds scattered across his body.

The elf didn't come at all until it was time for lunch. Noticing the tense atmosphere, Semi decided not to push his luck and so the whole meal they weren't talking more than necessary. 

His helper checked up on him a few times after lunch, though. He only asked a few things regarding his injury, keeping brief and impersonal. It was still an interaction, though, and Semi, who was thoroughly bored, welcomed it. 

Dinner went slightly better. Semi tried to strike a conversation again but it got shot down fast. Going through a different route, the wolf asked about the town, Shiratorizawa, instead. At least this topic got him some answers from the scowling elf. 

Shirabu scowled a lot, Semi observed. He truly wondered if it's actually a permanent fixture on his face. Even if it wasn't, he worried it wouldn't be long until it was. 

The hands that helped him sit up and lie down were gentle, though. Those same hands were also gentle when its owner was treating him. It boggled Semi that they belonged to an elf with a prickly attitude. And no, he wasn't saying this because he was ungrateful. He knew he owed his life to this person, but that didn't change his impression of him. 

_ What a prick _ , he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Shirabu asked as he was trying to fit all the bowls and glasses in his hands.

Oh, he said that out loud, didn't he. 

"Nothing," he answered, averting his eyes. 

"You just bad talked me, didn't you?" He raised one of his eyebrows.

Semi's ears twitched. Hopefully Shirabu didn't catch that. 

But of course Shirabu saw that. "So, you did." 

"Do you think you did something that warrant a bad talk then?" Semi asked instead. He simply didn't want to let his helper have the last word.

"Me? No. But I know your type," he replied haughtily. 

"And what is it?" 

"You're the type to get agitated easily, you clearly have a short temper, and –" he paused, looking Semi up and down.

"Don't you just describe yourself there?" Semi snorted. Who was the first to snap this morning, huh?

"As I was saying," the elf huffed. "You also seem like a musclehead."

"Hey, that's uncalled for," Semi said, offended.

"In conclusion, you resorted to bad talk me because you don't take kindly to being told off even though you know I'm right."

"That attitude of yours is what pisses me off, just so you know," Semi pointed out. "Do you treat all of your patients like this?"

Shirabu shrugged, "Just the thick-headed ones."

"What makes you so averse to being thanked? I don't get it."

"This again? Lay off," Shirabu said, annoyance evident in his tone. "Just get me apples or something once you can move freely if you're so determined to show how grateful you are. I don't need empty words."

Semi considered this. It seemed the elf had his reason, then. Deciding he wouldn't ask any further, he focused on something else instead. "You like apples?" 

"Yeah. What of it?" Shirabu answered defensively. 

"Nothing. I personally like oranges."

"No one asked." 

"Yes, but I decided to share," Semi shrugged and winced in result. 

"Don't move carelessly, you stupid wolf," the elf reprimanded. "And has anyone ever told you that oversharing with a stranger is dangerous?" 

"I'd be surprised if you can harm me with an orange, to be honest." Semi chuckled, imagining the other doing so. "And well, you saved me, so I trust you." 

Shirabu shook his head. "I thought you said you don't have a pack. You should've had more sense of self-preservation, you know," he chastised.

"Hey, I have it. I wouldn't stay alive this long if I don't," he retorted.

"Right," Shirabu said, seemingly to end that line of conversation. "You should sleep, it's getting late."

"Okay." 

"Huh, you're quite agreeable. No back talk?" the copper-blond elf asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

"You want me to sleep or not?" Semi asked. If his arms weren't injured he would've crossed it in front of his chest right then.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Sleep well." Shirabu bid him goodnight and left the bedroom.

Semi watched him leave. Then, he replayed their conversation in his mind. It was the longest one they had today. And strangely he found that he enjoyed it. 

Talking to Shirabu frustrated him but it was also fun. Semi didn't know what that said about him when the highlight of his day was their bickering. Even more bizarre was that he actually looked forward to do it again tomorrow. He decided not to think too hard about it.

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of apples and a certain scowling elf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tho this chapter is a mess, kudos and comment are always appreciated! ♡
> 
> also let me know if you find any mistake!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visitor came interrupting their morning. Semi got new bruises. He also found out more about Shirabu. All of that and it was even before they had breakfast!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao again it's a mess but i kinda had fun with it. so no, i won't even say sorry this time. 
> 
> i actually thought i couldn't post anything this week bc i was quite busy taking care of my sick cat and other rl stuff but look, i ended up writing more than last week's chapter.

Came morning, Semi got woken up by the chirping birds outside the elf's house. He was wondering about what he'd do to pass the time until Shirabu woke up and made them breakfast when he heard footsteps too close for his comfort. He knew it wasn't Shirabu, he could still sense the other's presence in the other room. The elf told him that although his hut wasn't situated too deep into the forest, it was still secluded enough that mere humans couldn't easily find it. There were protection charms too, to ward them off. So, Semi knew it wasn't a passerby.

A patient? A friend? To be honest, Semi didn't know anything about Shirabu except what he had told him himself. He didn't know if he should let his guard down now.

_ Knock, knock! _

Someone was knocking on the elf's door. The elf in question was still sleeping, though. Semi was faced with three options now: 1) yell to wake Shirabu up so he could get the door, 2) wait it out, either Shirabu would wake up to the sound of their incessant knocking or the other person gets bored and leave, and 3) open the door himself.

As seconds that felt like minutes went by, the third option seemed more appealing to him. But when Semi was in the middle of trying to get up to do just that, Shirabu – who was clearly disturbed from his sleep – decided to give whoever it was a piece of his mind.

"What is it?" Shirabu yelled as he slammed the door open.

"Good morning, Kenjirou!" the disturber greeted, apparently unperturbed by Shirabu's loud voice.

"What in the fresh hell are you doing here, Terushima?" 

Just from his voice Semi could tell that Shirabu was scowling. He didn't know why he could do that given that they barely knew each other.

"Hey, I'm visiting you, of course! You haven't dropped by for months!" Terushima chirpily answered as he let himself in, not that Shirabu tried to stop him. He only sighed, as if resigned and probably wanted this day to be over already.

"I never go to your village if I have nothing of importance," Shirabu pointed out. "I'm busy."

"With what? You don't even reply to my letters!" he huffed.

"The letters where you mostly ask about Taichi? Just write to him instead and save both of us time and energy," he let out another long suffering sigh.

"But I write him letters, too," Terushima retorted. "I just need, hm let's say, outsider perspective."

At this point, Semi's curiosity won. He considered the elf's reaction if he barged into the other room now but his curiosity outweighed the consequence he had to face.  _ Well, if I could just take a peek, Shirabu would be none the wiser _ , Semi reasoned. 

Of course, his legs decided to betray him. Just as he tried to get up from the bed, he promptly fell on his behind. Semi couldn't help but grunt as pain flared up both on his injured legs and back.

Hearing the noise, Semi saw the elf came into his bedroom, followed by a young man with spiky blond hair. Upon seeing him sitting helplessly on the floor, he made haste to check on him. 

"What are you doing?" Shirabu hissed as he helped Semi onto the bed. 

"The loud knocking woke me up," he lied. "I just wanted to know who it is." 

"Even though you know full well you can't walk around yet?" 

Semi shrugged. "Curiosity got the better of me."

"You stupid wolf," he muttered, loud enough for the two to hear. He let go of Semi's leg he'd been checking, "This is going to bruise. I'm gonna find some ointment." With that, he left the room, slamming the door closed as he went. 

There was a moment of silence where Semi took it to observe the other person.  _ He doesn't look like an elf, _ Semi thought,  _ he didn't have distinct ears like Shirabu's _ . 

"So, you're a werewolf?" The silence was broken by Shirabu's guest.

"Yeah."

"Never knew Kenjirou has a werewolf friend," this person – Terushima? He'd heard Shirabu called him that earlier – said, his hand was placed on his chin as if thinking deeply about it.

_ So, Kenjirou is his given name, huh, _ Semi thought briefly.

"Ah no, I'm just a patient. He took me in when he found me injured in the forest," Semi was quick to clarify.

"Oh, so that's it!" The young man smiled then. "I'm Terushima Yuuji, Kenjirou's friend, although he'd try to deny that. Nice to meet you. You look pretty bad, though. What happened to you?" 

"Semi Eita. Nice to meet you, too," he answered, then shrugged. "Got attacked by other werewolves."

"The ones from here? I thought they're mostly civil. But I haven't been here since last summer, so if there was a change in pack I wouldn't know," he speculated.

"I honestly don't know. But I think they were unruly ones," Semi said. Then, to sate his own curiosity, he asked, "You aren't an elf, are you?" 

Terushima let out a laugh. It was a quick, yet unbridled laughter. It amused him somehow.

"Obviously not," he replied, a chuckle escaped his lips right after. "I don't even look like one."

"So, what are you? If you don't mind me asking," Semi asked again.

"A wereavian, a  _ nojiko _ to be precise," came his answer. "Want to see me turn into my other form?"

Semi shook his head. "No, no, you don't have to."

Though wereavian as a whole wasn't rare, it was the first time Semi met one who wasn't a werecrow or wereowl.

Before they could talk more, Shirabu came, bringing a small bowl of ointment with him. 

"Huh, you're still here," Shirabu said when he noticed Terushima was still there.

"Rude, Kenjirou," he replied in mock offense.

The elf didn't bother to reply as he made quick work applying the ointment on Semi.

"I'm going to smell even worse," Semi commented after a while to Shirabu who was still working.

He heard a huff of laughter coming from Terushima that was quickly shot down by a menacing look from Shirabu.

"And whose fault is that?" the healer asked, though they both already knew the answer.

"Maybe you should help him clean up," Shirabu's friend chimed in, adding in an exaggerated wink at the end.

"I cleaned him up after I took him here," Shirabu responded, not noticing his wink at all. "Do you really think I'd just bandage him without doing that?"

"Of course not," Terushima quick to reply. "And how long ago was that?" 

"Two nights ago."

"Hey, that means your excuse doesn't work. I thought you're busy treating him!"

"I just said I'm busy, I never told you what or whom I'm busy with. You came to that conclusion yourself," he pointed out.

"Okay, fair." He paused. Then, "Wait, when is the last time you visit Taichi?" 

"There," Shirabu said as he's finished. "Do try not to make it worse." 

"Okay," Semi nodded. 

The elf then turned to look at Terushima. "I went to his place two weeks ago and he came here last week."

"Oh, is he well? I sent a letter last week but I didn't tell I planned to visit." He added, "And I haven't received his reply."

"He's probably busy with his apprentice," Shirabu rolled his eyes. "A tough one but at least he's earnest."

"Maybe you should try taking in one," Terushima commented. "I'm sure it'd be useful, if not at least funny to see you teaching them."

"Yeah, it's not going to happen." 

"At least try to meet someone new. Your patients not included, obviously," his friend pressed. "You're already secluding yourself here, are you really fine like this?"

"I met a merchant a few days ago, he sold a few rare herbs that's hard to find here." He gathered his stuff and stood up. Before he left he said, "I already have Taichi and his apprentice coming here every few weeks. I have you, much to my dismay, so why would I need more?"

"There are so many things wrong with that statement but fine, I'll shut up for now," he let out a sigh.

"That'd be a first."

"Hey, now just for that, you'll have to let me stay here for the night."

"No, go find an inn or something. I already have to give up my bed for him," he pointed his finger at Semi.

"Wait, where did you sleep these past two nights?" Semi asked, suddenly feeling stupid for not thinking about it before.

"In my workspace. Do you really think a hut like this have two bedrooms?" 

"I thought this is where you put your patient if they have to stay overnight," Semi answered faintly. He felt even more guilty to cause such trouble.

"And by workspace, he basically meant the kitchen. There's enough space for him to prepare his medicinal herbs and those magical stuff but that's it," Terushima helpfully added.

"You know that and yet you asked me to let you sleep here?" Shirabu turned his head to look at his friend.

Terushima shrugged. "We can sleep on the floor. Doesn't matter to me." 

"Just find yourself a room in town, Teru. Even better, go to Taichi and he'll probably share his room with you."

"A-ah. That's not– I don't think– yeah, no."

"Just do whatever then," he huffed. "I'm hungry, do you want to stay here for breakfast?"

"Yes!" Terushima happily exclaimed.

"Good. Now stay put, both of you." He looked at them both in the eyes before he finally left the room.

"Good. Now stay put, both of you." He looked at them both in the eyes before he finally left the room. 

"He's quite a character, huh?" Terushima turned to address Semi. 

"Ah, yes. How do you know him?" Semi asked. After seeing their back and forth his curiosity was piqued once again.

"I used to live here. My parents decided to move back to our hometown but I keep in touch with Kenjirou and Taichi," he explained. "Well, there was one other person but he didn't live here anymore."

"Oh. So, you're all childhood friends."

"Yeah. How about you? Where are you from? What's your story?" He inquired.

"Nothing's interesting. I used to live in Tokonami, something happened and I had to leave the village, I spent a few years moving from town to town, village to village. I stayed in Karasuno for half a year, I've heard about Shiratorizawa before, how it's bigger than most places I've visited, and since it was just a few days walk through the forest I thought I should come to see how it is."

"And you ended up getting attacked?" Terushima raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

The wolf shrugged. "I don't even know what's their problem. Possibly a territory matter and they thought I was getting in the way? I'd honestly like to find out myself."

"Well, I hope you get well soon. And maybe you'll get to make Kenjirou go out more and have fun." 

"So there's an ulterior motive to that well wish," Semi said, a small smile on his lips. "How do you reckon I do that? I don't even know him that well."

"Well, I don't know. Kenjirou doesn't easily trust people. But I have a feeling you can do that." Terushima smiled softly and half whispered, "I hope you could."

It took Semi aback. He might not know this wereavian before this morning but his entire personality seemed set on an easy going mode that it surprised Semi to see him like that. It might have something to do with Shirabu himself. There must be a reason that he couldn't put his trust in people. But Semi thought it wasn't his place to ask.

He cares a great deal about Shirabu, Semi thought. I don't know why but I'm glad he has such a caring friend.

"I'll try, then." 

"Good, it's a promise."

"It's a promise."

He couldn't promise he'd succeed but at least he'd make an effort.

_ As a payback, _ Semi said to himself.  _ For all he's done to me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: nojiko (ノジコ or 野鵐) is actually a [yellow bunting](https://www.hbw.com/sites/default/files/styles/ibc_1k/public/ibc/p/japanese_yellow_bunting.jpg?itok=yV6K3suF). I just thought it'd be fun to imagine Terushima as that bird.
> 
> kudos and comment are always appreciated! 
> 
> if you see any mistake, please let me know ♡

**Author's Note:**

> it's past 1 in the morning and i'm sleepy af so i apologize in advance for shitty english and lack of beta reading.
> 
> kudos and comment are always appreciated! ♡
> 
> you can scream at me about semishira and bokuaka on [twitter](https://twitter.com/avocadofrappe)!


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